Scottish Executive

Ambulance Service

Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support any plans in 2002-03 to convert the Scottish Ambulance Service station in Wick from on-call to full-time operation.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive has provided the Scottish Ambulance Service with an allocation of £108.783 million for 2002-03, an increase of 7.4% on last year. This allocation supports the service’s priorities for investment which include improving its operations rooms functions, introducing priority based dispatch and converting from part-time to full-time the ambulance stations in Fraserburgh, Dunoon and Stranraer. There are no current plans to further increase the allocation for 2002-03.

Children's Hearings System

David McLetchie (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27011 by Cathy Jamieson on 16 July 2002, whether the statement by the Deputy First Minister and Minister for Justice to the Justice 2 Committee on 18 June 2002 that the number of serious offences referred to the children’s reporter unit is statistically "almost off the radar screen" ( Official Report , Justice 2 Committee, 18 June 2002; c 1625) was based on evidence and, if so, on what evidence it was based.

Cathy Jamieson: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-27011. The statistical information was drawn from data which is now being collected by Scottish Children’s Reporters Administration on its new information technology system.

Disabled Access

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what statutory obligations there are for businesses to provide disability access when renovating and extending premises where disability access did not previously exist.

Hugh Henry: All new building work, including alterations and extensions, which is covered by the building regulations must comply with the Technical Standards for compliance with the Building Standards (Scotland) Regulations 1990 (as amended). The issue of access to buildings for disabled people is covered by Part S of the Technical Standards ( Access to and movement within buildings, and protective barriers ). Repair work is not covered, and parts of buildings unaffected by an extension may not be covered.

  From 1 October 1999, a service provider, under Part III of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, has had to take reasonable steps to remove barriers to services and by 1 October 2004 these barriers should have been removed.

Drug Misuse

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-23727 by Malcolm Chisholm on 11 February 2002, whether Capecitabine has been approved by the Greater Glasgow Area Drug and Therapeutics Committee for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer.

Malcolm Chisholm: Local management advise that the Greater Glasgow Area Drug and Therapeutics Committee will consider the use of Capecitabine for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer on 12 August. Their recommendation will then be considered by the Board of NHS Greater Glasgow on 27 August.

Forestry

Iain Smith (North-East Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans for further decentralising the handling of forestry policy and management in the light of the continuing experience of devolution.

Allan Wilson: Forestry Ministers have agreed the recommendations of the Forestry Devolution Review, a wide-ranging interdepartmental review of the administrative arrangements for forestry post-devolution, which I announced on 22 January. In particular we have accepted that the current arrangements need to be updated, and that this should be implemented by administrative action. The aim of the changes would be to achieve greater integration of forestry in Scotland with other rural policy work of the Executive whilst retaining desirable opportunities for a collaborative approach to common issues.

Health

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many GPs have accredited training in Parkinson’s disease, broken down by NHS board area.

Malcolm Chisholm: There are no central records kept of courses attended by individual GPs. However, GPs are encouraged to look at their own personal learning needs (based on the principles of adult learning), and the needs of their patients. Each GP receives an annual Postgraduate Education Allowance to support an agreed amount of training in areas approved by the Postgraduate Deaneries. In the future, the GP appraisal process will assist GPs to identify their learning needs with the help of trained appraisers.

Health

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many Parkinson’s disease nurses there are, broken down by NHS board area.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: The information requested is not held centrally.

Health Technology Board for Scotland

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-26631 by Malcolm Chisholm on 24 June 2002, which Comment the Health Technology Board for Scotland will review in the light of new evidence on its interpretation of the contextual differences it has identified between Scotland and England and Wales.

Malcolm Chisholm: To date, there has not been the evidence to prompt any such review.

Higher Education

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the Prime Minister’s statement at Prime Minister’s Questions, in respect of the abolition of tuition fees, that "under the Scottish experiment, people do pay in the end - indeed, everyone pays." ( Official Report , House of Commons, 10 July 2002; Vol. 388, c 877) and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Iain Gray: Tuition fees have been abolished for all eligible Scottish domiciled and EU students undertaking a full-time course of higher education in Scotland. These arrangements were introduced in academic year 2000-01.

  The Graduate Endowment scheme was introduced as part of the new student support arrangements from academic year 2001-02. Under this scheme, graduates will make a payment in recognition of the higher education benefits they received while they were students. These benefits include the financial support paid to the student towards his/her living costs and the public funding paid by the Executive to higher education institutions.

  The Graduate Endowment arrangements are distinct from the free tuition which has been available to eligible students in Scotland since academic year 2000-01. Unlike tuition fees, the endowment does not involve any payment during the course in exchange for access to provision and is set at a flat rate for all liable graduates regardless of the duration of their course of study. If the Graduate Endowment had simply replaced tuition fees, all students eligible for free tuition would also be liable for the Endowment. Around 50% of students will, in fact, be exempt from liability.

Housing

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when a review of the Home Loss Payments established under the Land Compensation (Scotland) Act 1973 will take place.

Hugh Henry: As the Minister for Social Justice explained in her letter of 11 July 2002, we are considering this issue. We do not have a firm timetable for review at present.

Individual Learning Accounts

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27009 by Mike Watson on 22 July 2002, (a) how many of the learning providers included in the exercise to validate claims have yet to be assessed, (b) of those already assessed, how many fraudulent claims there were, broken down by classification of fraud and (c) how many such claims have been referred to the procurators fiscal.

Iain Gray: All learning providers included in the validation exercise have been assessed. The validation exercise has identified a number of irregularities and in some cases further investigations are continuing. It is not possible to say how many fraudulent claims there were: it is a matter for the Procurator Fiscal Service to decide whether there is sufficient evidence for criminal proceedings and it is for the court to decide if there is sufficient evidence to convict. No claims have been referred yet to the Procurators Fiscal.

Justice

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many summary complaints have been dealt with at Peebles Sheriff Court, whether proceeding to trial or otherwise, in (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01, (c) 2001-02 and (d) 2002-2003.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information provided by the Scottish Court Service for the number of summary complaints dealt with at Peebles Sheriff Court is set out in the following table. The table includes those summary complaints registered under the jurisdiction of Peebles Sheriff Court. Since December 2001, any court appearances have been held at Selkirk Sheriff Court.

  Sheriff Court – Summary Criminal

  


 


1999-2000


2000-01


2001-02


April-June 2002




Complaints Registered


142


190


241


45




Complaints Concluded


176


203


220


61




Trials Evidence Led


14


10


7


3

Learning Disabilities

Elaine Thomson (Aberdeen North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received Partnership in Practice agreements on learning disability provision from each local authority and whether it will list any which are still to be submitted.

Mr Frank McAveety: Partnership in Practice agreements have been received from all local authorities.

Learning Disabilities

Elaine Thomson (Aberdeen North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has carried out an assessment of Partnership in Practice agreements in each local authority and what the outcome of each assessment has been.

Mr Frank McAveety: Scottish Executive officials have assessed all Partnership in Practice agreements (PiPs) submitted by local authorities, and all authorities have had feedback on the content of their PiPs. Officials are now evaluating the revised PiPs.

Learning Disabilities

Elaine Thomson (Aberdeen North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to monitor Partnership in Practice agreements and what the frequency and nature of such monitoring will be.

Mr Frank McAveety: Following the assessment referred to in the answer given to question S1W-27845 today, implementation of the plans set out in Partnership in Practice agreements will be monitored through Scottish Health Advisory Service inspections, the NHS Performance Assessment Framework, statistical information collected by the Scottish Executive Social Work Statistics Division, and the development of a Learning Disabilities Database.

Learning Disabilities

Elaine Thomson (Aberdeen North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding for learning disability services has been provided by the NHS and local authorities in each year from 1996-97 to date.

Mr Frank McAveety: The information on local authority funding is provided in the annual CIPFA Rating Review Actual of Income & Expenditure . The Bib. numbers are as follows:

  


1996-97


7544




1997-98


7545




1998-99


7548




1999-2000


14654




2000-01


19781




  For 2001-02 the information is in section 4 of the CIPFA Rating Review Estimates of Income & Expenditure 2001-02 (Bib. number 17055) copies of which are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

  NHS expenditure for patients with a learning disability has been taken from the Performance Monitoring Template. Expenditure (£ million) for this period is as follows;

  


1996-97


116.3




1997-98


117




1998-99


111.1




1999-2000


115.3




2000-01


116




  This expenditure includes in-patient care, new out-patient attendance, attendance by learning disability patients at day hospitals and community mental/handicap team contacts/visits.

Learning Disabilities

Elaine Thomson (Aberdeen North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what improvements have been made to learning disability services as a result of the learning disability services change fund.

Mr Frank McAveety: The Learning Disabilities Change Fund is being used to provide or improve a variety of services. These include remodelling day activities, including employment and life-long learning; developing short break services; the appointment and training of local area co-ordinators; improving advocacy, and developing services for individuals with multiple disabilities.

Nursing

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-23179 by Malcolm Chisholm on 5 March 2002, why all data in the Account Commission’s report on bank and agency nursing staff was anonymised.

Malcolm Chisholm: Audit Scotland advises that the Accounts Commission for Scotland report Temporary Measures, Managing Bank and Agency Nursing Staff, published in February 2000 , was designed to provide a baseline reading in order that areas for improvement could be highlighted. Managers have been given a suitable period in which to make improvements, and changes in performance will be included in a report on ward-based nurse staffing which is due to be published in November. Bodies will be named publicly at this stage. The Auditor General believes that this two stage process facilitates continuous improvement.

Planning

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to amend National Planning Policy Guideline 9 (NPPG9), particularly in respect of the minimum spacing distance between motorway service stations, and what action it would take if a local authority did not take NPPG9 into account in granting a planning application.

Hugh Henry: Following the Review of Strategic Planning the Scottish Executive announced that all National Planning Policy Guidelines (NPPGs) would be reviewed and renamed as Scottish Planning Policies (SPPs). The review of NPPG9 is scheduled for 2004.

  Sections 25 and 37(2) of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 require that planning decisions be made in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Planning authorities dealing with applications for roadside facilities should also consider the policy in NPPG9 as a material consideration.

  The Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) (Scotland) Order 1992 (as amended) requires that before granting or determining any application for planning permission in respect of creating a new Motorway Service Area (MSA) or a new development within the boundary of such an area, a planning authority shall consult the Scottish ministers.

  If a local authority grants planning permission for a MSA there is no presumption that the establishment will be signed from the motorway. This is a matter for the Scottish Executive as Trunk Road Authority. The authority is required to conclude a Signing Agreement with the MSA operator covering the level of services to be provided. Only in very exceptional circumstances will an agreement be concluded for an MSA which does not comply with the requirements laid down in NPPG9, including spacing.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-25236, S1W-25237 and S1W-25238 by Mr Jim Wallace on 3 May 2002, which internal Scottish Prison Service (SPS) submissions were subsequently taken into account in the SPS Estates Review, detailing the reasons behind its response.

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-25236, S1W-25237 and S1W-25238 by Mr Jim Wallace on 3 May 2002, which feasibility studies such as Constructing the Future were subsequently taken into account in the Scottish Prison Service Estates Review, detailing the reasons behind its response.

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-25236, S1W-25237 and S1W-25238 by Mr Jim Wallace on 3 May 2002, how many internal Scottish Prison Service (SPS) submissions were subsequently taken into account in the SPS Estates Review.

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-25236, S1W-25237 and S1W-25238 by Mr Jim Wallace on 3 May 2002, how many feasibility studies such as Constructing the Future were subsequently taken into account in the Scottish Prison Service Estates Review.

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-25236, S1W-25237 and S1W-25238 by Mr Jim Wallace on 3 May 2002, whether the internal Scottish Prison Service (SPS) submissions which were subsequently taken into account in the SPS Estates Review will be made publicly available, detailing the reasons behind its response.

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-25236, S1W-25237 and S1W-25238 by Mr Jim Wallace on 3 May 2002, whether the internal Scottish Prison Service (SPS) submissions which were subsequently taken into account in the SPS Estates Review will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre, detailing the reasons behind its response.

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-25236, S1W-25237 and S1W-25238 by Mr Jim Wallace on 3 May 2002, whether the feasibility studies such as Constructing the Future which were subsequently taken into account in the Scottish Prison Service Estates Review will be made publicly available, detailing the reasons behind its response.

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-25236, S1W-25237 and S1W-25238 by Mr Jim Wallace on 3 May 2002, whether the feasibility studies such as Constructing the Future which were subsequently taken into account in the Scottish Prison Service Estates Review will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre, detailing the reasons behind its response.

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the reports prepared for HM Prisons Barlinnie and Peterhead as part of the estates review and submitted to the Scottish Prison Service at the same time as the report Constructing the Future was submitted will be placed in the Scottish Parliament’s Information Centre, detailing the reasons behind its response on this matter.

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25554 by Mr Jim Wallace on 27 May 2002, which of its officials, of what grades and on what dates, have received any memoranda, drafts, notes, submissions or reports regarding any assessment made by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) of the internal SPS submission Constructing the Future prepared by Mr Eric Murch of HM Prison Low Moss on or about 21 April 2000.

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25679 by Mr Jim Wallace on 27 May 2002, what portions of the internal Scottish Prison Service submission Constructing the Future prepared by Mr Eric Murch of HM Prison Low Moss on or about 21 April 2000 were taken into account and by whom, and between what dates, any such portions were taken into account in the development of the Scottish Prison Service Estates Review.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Executive is committed to open government. Under the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information , the assumption is that information will be released except where disclosure would not be in the public interest as specified in Part II of the code. In the case of the Prison Estates Review, all the relevant material from internal Scottish Prison Service submissions was included in the three volumes of material published as part of consultation on the Review. Material not included was either irrelevant or is covered by Exception 2 to the code, which covers internal discussion and advice. The purpose of this exception is to maintain the frankness and candour of internal discussion including internal opinion, advice, recommendation, consultation and deliberation.

Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has published regarding the Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001.

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to increase public awareness of the Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001 and, if so, what form publicity to this end will take.

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on publicising the Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001.

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases have been initiated using the Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001.

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases initiated under the Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001 have proceeded to a power of arrest.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001 offers an additional, and important, form of protection for individuals at risk of abuse. We issued press releases at the passing of the bill and the coming into force of the act, so as to give widespread publicity to the new measure. However, our main aim has been to ensure that those giving advice to the public should be aware of the Act and be able to give balanced advice on the circumstances in which it may be of help. To that end we have liased with bodies such as Scottish Women’s Aid and Citizens’ Advice Scotland to ensure that they are able to give accurate advice, and have asked local multi-agency partnerships on domestic abuse to disseminate information locally. The legal professions were also alerted to the new act.

  We have commissioned research into the use of the Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001. We do not yet have figures for court actions initiated under the Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001, nor where a power of arrest has been attached. However, the research is due to report later this year and we will provide the findings to the Parliament at this time.

Scottish Enterprise

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of spending by Scottish Enterprise in the current year on (a) business support and start-up programmes for women only and (b) women generally, both in cash terms and as a percentage of Scottish Enterprise’s overall budget.

Iain Gray: This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise. I shall ask Robert Crawford, Chief Executive of Scottish Enterprise, to write to the member.

Scottish Enterprise

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give details of Scottish Enterprise’s performance for the number of women business start-ups assisted in 2002-03 and projections for women business start-ups to the end of 2002-03, both broken down by local enterprise company area.

Iain Gray: This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise. I shall ask Robert Crawford, Chief Executive of Scottish Enterprise, to write to the member.

Social Inclusion

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24724 by Ms Margaret Curran on 20 May 2002, what auditing system it used to gather the information for that answer.

Hugh Henry: The information provided in the answer given to question S1W-24724 was derived from a dedicated database of Social Inclusion Partnership budget allocations and expenditure. Subsequently, Finance staff in Communities Scotland discovered through routine checks as part of an overall review of procedures that there were a number of administrative errors in the database. The corrected figures have been advised to the member, the Parliament’s Reference Centre and the Official Report.